Examples of electronic devices are digital cameras such as digital still cameras and digital video cameras each of which digitizes (encodes) image information or voice information and records it in a recording device in the apparatus or on a detachable recording medium.
An example of a system including such a digital camera is a system in which the digital camera and information processing apparatus (external apparatus) such as a computer are connected via a cable, and image information recorded on a recording medium fixed in the digital camera or detachable recording medium is transferred to the information processing apparatus.
In some such systems, internal parameters of the digital camera can be set by the information processing apparatus through the cable, or operation of the digital camera can be controlled from the information processing apparatus.
However, even in the system capable of setting the internal parameters of the digital camera by the information processing apparatus, only internal parameters settable in the stand-alone digital camera can be set from the information processing apparatus. This system cannot finely set or adjust the values in accordance with the application purpose of image sensing. For example, assume that the shutter speed settable in the stand-alone camera is a ½ step. For image sensing in a studio or the like, it is supposedly often required to change this step to ⅓ or ¼. However, this system cannot meet the requirement.
Additionally, in the prior art, when the stop value or shutter speed of the digital camera is set from the information processing apparatus, and the digital camera is disconnected from the information processing apparatus and used as a stand-alone device, the user may be confused because the digital camera operates in the mode set by the information processing apparatus.
Furthermore, in the prior art, for example, the following restrictions may be imposed on use of such a system in which the information processing apparatus and digital camera are connected. First, in some systems, unless the user sets the digital camera in the “PC connection mode” by operating the operating section, the digital camera cannot be controlled and operated by the information processing apparatus. Second, in some systems, while the digital camera and information processing apparatus are being connected, operation of the digital camera main body is invalidated to disable image sensing by direct operation of the main body. Third, in some systems, even when the digital camera main body connected to the information processing apparatus can be directly operated, only image sensing based on contents set by the information processing apparatus is possible.